COMMERCE - The third-ranked Texas A&M University-Commerce Lions' football team heads to Kingsville this weekend to take on long-time rival Texas A&M University-Kingsville in the annual battle for the Chennault Cup. A combined 50 Lone Star Conference titles are represented in this matchup
WHO: Texas A&M University-Commerce at Texas A&M University-Kingsville
WHERE: Kingsville | Javelina Stadium
WHEN: 7 p.m. on Saturday, September 23
RECORDS: A&M-Commerce is 3-0 overall and 1-0 in the Lone Star Conference schedule. A&M-Kingsville is 1-2 overall and 0-1 in the LSC.
RANKINGS: Texas A&M-Commerce is ranked No. 3 in the AFCA Coaches' Poll and the D2Football.com Media Poll.
LIVE AUDIO: Lion Sports Network -- KETR 88.9 FM, Commerce (
http://www.ketr.org)
LIVE VIDEO: http://bit.ly/2erA9ii
LIVE STATS: http://www.sidearmstats.com/tamuk/football/
#24STRONG
• The A&M-Commerce department of athletics and especially the football program sends along our thoughts and prayers to our friends at Midwestern State.
• Robert Grays, a sophomore general business major and football player at Midwestern State died Tuesday afternoon at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center in his hometown of Houston. He was 19.
• Grays suffered a severe neck injury while making a tackle with 3:24 remaining in the fourth quarter of MSU's 35-13 win over Texas A&M-Kingsville Saturday night at Memorial Stadium.
ALL-TIME AGAINST THE JAVELINAS
• The Lions and Javelinas are meeting for the 64thtime in a series that dates back to 1930.
• The Javelinas have a 35-27-1 lead in the series.
• A Lion win would be the sixth straight in the series for A&M-Commerce.
• The Lions' current five-game winning streak is their longest in the series with the Hogs.
• A&M-Kingsville had the longest winning streak in the series, winning seven straight matchups from 1992-99.
• Of the Lions' current five-game streak, the 2013 and 2015 wins came in Kingsville and the 2012 and 2016 wins came in Commerce. The 2014 victory was part of the Lone Star Conference Football Festival at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
CLOSER #ToTheTop
• For the second consecutive week, the Lions are tabbed as the No. 3 team in the nation in both the AFCA and D2Football.com polls.
• The Lions have now reached their highest AFCA ranking since the poll was introduced in 2000.
• The Lions' previous high ranking in the AFCA poll was fourth last season.
• A&M-Commerce has been ranked in 29 straight AFCA polls, dating back to the 2015 preseason poll.
• This is A&M-Commerce's 35th all-time appearance in the AFCA poll since its inception in 2000.
THE CHENNAULT CUP
• The two teams play for the Chennault Cup, which was implemented in 1991 and recognizes the late Lt. General Claire Chennault.
• Chennault was a Commerce native who was a member of the famous "Flying Tigers" fighter squadron during the 1930s and was the commander of the 14th Air Force during World War II. He spent time training and teaching at the Naval Air Station Kingsville during his distinguished military career.
• The original series was between West Alabama and A&M-Commerce, but shifted to Kingsville in 1992.
• The Javelinas hold a 16-8 advantage in Chennault Cup games despite the Lions holding it for the past five seasons.
| 09/01/1990 |
WEST ALABAMA |
W |
45-6 |
| 09/07/1991 |
at West Alabama |
W |
44-6 |
| 10/10/1992 |
A&M-KINGSVILLE |
L |
10-17 |
| 10/09/1993 |
at A&M-Kingsville |
L |
3-28 |
| 10/08/1994 |
A&M-KINGSVILLE |
L |
0-31 |
| 10/07/1995 |
at A&M-Kingsville |
L |
18-37 |
| 10/12/1996 |
A&M-KINGSVILLE |
L |
28-35 |
| 10/11/1997 |
at A&M-Kingsville |
L |
6-34 |
| 10/10/1998 |
A&M-KINGSVILLE |
L |
18-42 |
| 10/09/1999 |
at A&M-Kingsville |
W |
14-10 |
| 10/07/2000 |
A&M-KINGSVILLE |
L |
0-7 |
| 10/06/2001 |
at A&M-Kingsville |
W |
30-24 |
| 10/12/2002 |
A&M-KINGSVILLE |
L |
15-37 |
| 10/11/2003 |
at A&M-Kingsville |
L |
7-31 |
| 10/02/2004 |
A&M-KINGSVILLE |
L |
13-31 |
| 09/09/2006 |
A&M-KINGSVILLE |
L |
17-20 |
| 09/08/2007 |
A&M-KINGSVILLE |
W |
24-7 |
| 10/11/2008 |
at A&M-Kingsville |
L |
0-35 |
| 10/10/2009 |
A&M-KINGSVILLE |
L |
34-35 |
| 09/18/2010 |
at A&M-Kingsville |
L |
0-21 |
| 10/01/2011 |
at A&M-Kingsville |
L |
21-39 |
| 09/29/2012 |
A&M-KINGSVILLE |
W |
21-14 |
| 10/12/2013 |
at A&M-Kingsville |
W |
41-28 |
| 09/20/2014 |
vs A&M-Kingsville (AT&T) |
W |
55-20 |
| 09/19/2015 |
at A&M-Kingsville |
W |
37-17 |
| 09/24/2016 |
A&M-KINGSVILLE |
W |
38-36 |
| 09/23/2017 |
at A&M-Kingsville |
- |
- |
LOOKING FOR NUMBER FOUR
• The Lions are now officially on the prowl for their fourth straight LSC title, which would be the first such streak for the school since the 1951-55 run of five straight titles.
• The last time an LSC team won four straight titles was Texas A&M-Kingsville from 2001-04. The 2001 title was shared.
• Texas A&M-Kingsville's run of five outright titles from 1993-97 is the only time an LSC team has won four straight outright titles in the league's history.
CARTHEL 5TH IN SCHOOL HISTORY IN WINS
• Head coach
Colby Carthel now ranks fifth in A&M-Commerce history in coaching wins with 37 wins.
• However, he will be in fifth for a while, as his 37 wins are just over half of J.V. Sikes' 63 wins in fourth place.
| 1 |
Ernest Hawkins |
1964-85 |
132-92-6 |
| 2 |
Eddie Vowell |
1986-98 |
74-71-1 |
| 3 |
Bob Berry |
1935-41, 46-50 |
72-34-8 |
| 4 |
J.V. Sikes |
1954-63 |
63-34-4 |
| 5 |
Colby Carthel |
2013-pres. |
37-14 |
| 6 |
M.A. Smith |
1951-53 |
30-2-1 |
PEREZ KEEPS CLIMBING THE PASSING CHARTS
• Preseason All-American quarterback
Luis Perez has broken into the top 10 in school history in career passing yardage at A&M-Commerce.
• The Lone Star Conference Preseason Offensive Player of the Year is also in the top 10 in completions and passing touchdowns.
• Perez was also named the LSC Offensive Player of the Week for the first time this season, as he completed his first 15 consecutive passes, threw for over 350 yards, and accounting for six total touchdowns.
• His 70% completion percentage leads the LSC and ranks 13th in the nation. He also ranks 24th in the nation with 21 pass completions per game.
• He is tied for the conference lead with WNMU's Javia Hall with nine touchdown passes.
• His 60 points responsible for ranks sixth in the nation.
• His 772 yards passing and 257.3 yards passing per game rank 2nd in the LSC and 33rd in the country.
• His career passing efficiency of 160.45 ranks fourth in Division II.
• He also ranks in the top 20 in active career leaders in Division II in completions per game, passes per game, and total offense per game.
| CAREER PASSING YARDAGE LEADERS |
| 1. |
5,955 |
Bob Bounds |
1987-91 |
| 2. |
5,800 |
Kyle Mackey |
1980-83 |
| 3. |
5,635 |
Terry Skinner |
1973-77 |
| 4. |
5,362 |
Tyrik Rollison |
2013-14 |
| 5. |
5,016 |
Harrison Stewart |
2013-15 |
| 6. |
4,616 |
Wade Wilson |
1977-80 |
| 7. |
4,529 |
Jim Dietz |
1967-70 |
| 8. |
4,378 |
Royce Slechta |
1985-88 |
| 9. |
4,098 |
Luis Perez |
2016-pres. |
| 10. |
3,913 |
Adam Farkes |
2009-10 |
| 11. |
3,763 |
Cole Cayce |
1993-96 |
| CAREER PASSING COMPLETION LEADERS |
| 1. |
375 |
Bob Bounds (375-706-36) |
1987-91 |
| 2. |
372 |
Kyle Mackey (372-751-44) |
1980-83 |
| 3. |
367 |
Terry Skinner (367-813-45) |
1973-77 |
| 4. |
353 |
Adam Farkes (353-700-30) |
2009-10 |
| 5. |
345 |
Harrison Stewart (345-633-14) |
2013-15 |
| 6. |
343 |
Tyrik Rollison (343-550-14) |
2013-14 |
| 7. |
338 |
Wade Wilson (338-668-26) |
1977-80 |
| 8. |
327 |
Royce Slechta (327-753-50) |
1985-88 |
| 9. |
314 |
Luis Perez (307-479-9) |
2016-pres. |
| 10. |
284 |
Cole Cayce (284-531-21) |
1993-96 |
| CAREER PASSING TOUCHDOWN LEADERS |
| 1. |
51 |
James Gray |
1951-53 |
| 2. |
48 |
Harrison Stewart |
2013-15 |
| 3. |
43 |
Jim Dietz |
1967-70 |
|
43 |
Tyrik Rollison |
2013-14 |
| 5. |
42 |
Kyle Mackey |
1980-83 |
| 6. |
41 |
Luis Perez |
2016-pres. |
| 7. |
34 |
Wade Wilson |
1977-80 |
| 8. |
33 |
Royce Slechta |
1985-88 |
|
33 |
Terry Skinner |
1973-77 |
| 10. |
32 |
Bob Bounds |
1987-91 |
MARTINEZ MOVES UP SCORING CHARTS
• Kicker
Kristov Martinez ranks 11th among career leaders in Division II in scoring with his 227 career points..
• Martinez is currently the leader in scoring amongst kickers in the Lone Star Conference with 26 total points and 8.7 points per game.
• Martinez is 4-for-4 on field goal attempts and 14-for-15 on PAT attempts through three games in 2017.
• In his sophomore season, Martinez connected on 18-of-24 field goals with a long of 46 yards. He also made 55-of-58 point after touchdown attempts. He recovered his own onside kick against Tarleton and had 20 touchbacks on 80 kickoffs.
• His 109 points was the second-most in the Lone Star Conference, and the most amongst kickers.
• That 109 points ranks as the fourth-most in a season in A&M-Commerce history.
• He has scored 227 points in his career, which moves him up to second in A&M-Commerce history.
• The A&M-Commerce all-time leader in scoring is Billy Watkins, who scored 281 points from 1990-93 on 134 PATs and 49 field goals.
• Martinez moved up to third on the career field goal list with a pair of 30-yarders at UNA.
| CAREER SCORING LEADERS |
| 1. |
281 |
Billy Watkins (134 PAT, 49 FG) |
1990-93 |
| 2. |
227 |
Kristov Martinez (125 PAT, 34 FG) |
2015-pres. |
| 3. |
224 |
David Dell (104 PAT, 40 FG) |
1995-98 |
| 4. |
222 |
Aundra Thompson (37 TD) |
1972-75 |
| 5. |
219 |
Saul Martinez (126 PAT, 31 FG) |
2013-14 |
| 6. |
216 |
Marvin Brown (36 TD) |
1951-52 |
| 7. |
210 |
Ricky Dirks (35 TD) |
1981-84 |
| 8. |
208 |
Leonard Allen (121 PAT, 29 FG) |
1973-76 |
| 9. |
180 |
Cary Noiel (30 TD) |
1978-81 |
|
180 |
Gary Compton (30 TD) |
1986-90 |
| CAREER PATs MADE LEADERS |
| 1. |
134 |
Billy Watkins (134-143) |
1990-93 |
| 2. |
126 |
Saul Martinez (126-130) |
2013-14 |
| 3. |
125 |
Kristov Martinez (125-132) |
2015-pres. |
| 4. |
121 |
Leonard Allen (121-134) |
1973-76 |
| 5. |
105 |
Kevin Garman (105-113) |
1981-84 |
| 6. |
104 |
David Dell (104-111) |
1995-98 |
| 7. |
93 |
Mark Regian (93-70) |
1968-71 |
| 8. |
55 |
Randy Weston (55-62) |
1999-02 |
|
55 |
Lloyd Corder (55-69) |
1951-52 |
| 10. |
51 |
A. Abo-Mahmood (51-55) |
2009-10 |
| CAREER FIELD GOALS MADE LEADERS |
| 1. |
49 |
Billy Watkins (49-84) |
1990-93 |
| 2. |
40 |
David Dell (40-61) |
1995-98 |
| 3. |
34 |
Kristov Martinez (34-47) |
2015-pres. |
| 4. |
31 |
Saul Martinez (31-38) |
2013-14 |
| 5. |
29 |
Ha'a Bento (29-44) |
2004-05 |
|
29 |
Leonard Allen (29-52) |
1973-76 |
| 7. |
26 |
Randy Weston (26-37) |
1999-02 |
| 8. |
21 |
Kevin Garman (21-41) |
1981-84 |
| 9. |
16 |
Mark Regian (16-29) |
1968-71 |
| 10. |
14 |
A. Abo-Mahmood (14-20) |
2009-10 |
MAINTAINING FORWARD MOMENTUM
• The Lions are the national leaders in tackles for loss allowed, allowing only 2.0 stops behind the line per game.
| Rk |
Team |
G |
W-L |
Atts |
Yds |
YPAtt |
TD |
YPG |
| 1 |
A&M-COMMERCE |
3 |
3-0 |
5 |
2 |
6 |
16 |
2.00 |
| 2 |
Humboldt St. |
2 |
2-0 |
4 |
2 |
5 |
20 |
2.50 |
| 2 |
Midwestern St. |
2 |
2-0 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
26 |
2.50 |
| 4 |
Southern Ark. |
3 |
2-1 |
4 |
8 |
8 |
19 |
2.67 |
| 5 |
Shepherd |
2 |
2-0 |
6 |
0 |
6 |
29 |
3.00 |
| 5 |
Seton Hill |
3 |
0-3 |
7 |
4 |
9 |
50 |
3.00 |
| 7 |
California (Pa.) |
3 |
3-0 |
7 |
6 |
10 |
31 |
3.33 |
| 7 |
Southeastern Okla. |
3 |
3-0 |
9 |
2 |
10 |
24 |
3.33 |
| 9 |
Ferris St. |
2 |
2-0 |
5 |
4 |
7 |
19 |
3.50 |
| 10 |
Six Teams |
|
|
|
|
|
|
3.67 |
• This applies to both running and passing situations. The Lions rank 10th nationally in sacks allowed.
1. Ouachita Baptist and U-Mary have allowed no sacks in 3 games (0.0)
3. Six teams have allowed 1 sack in 3 games (0.33)
9. Virginia State has allowed 1 sack in 2 games (0.50)
10. A&M-Commerce and 11 other teams have allowed 2 sacks in 3 games (0.67)
BEHIND THE LINE
• The Lion defense has had exceptional success penetrating the line of scrimmage and tackling opponents for loss.
• A&M-Commerce ranks ninth nationally in tackles for loss per game.
| Rk |
Team |
G |
W-L |
SoloTFL |
AstTFL |
Yds |
TOTAL |
TFLPG |
| 1 |
Morehouse |
3 |
2-1 |
24 |
26 |
222 |
37 |
12.3 |
| 2 |
Delta St. |
3 |
3-0 |
29 |
14 |
166 |
36 |
12.0 |
| 3 |
Sioux Falls |
3 |
3-0 |
29 |
10 |
163 |
34 |
11.3 |
| 4 |
Urbana |
3 |
1-2 |
24 |
18 |
132 |
33 |
11.0 |
| 4 |
Southwest Baptist |
3 |
1-2 |
21 |
24 |
140 |
33 |
11.0 |
| 6 |
Charleston (WV) |
3 |
1-2 |
21 |
22 |
91 |
32 |
10.7 |
| 6 |
Angelo St. |
3 |
2-1 |
20 |
24 |
116 |
32 |
10.7 |
| 6 |
Benedict |
3 |
2-1 |
24 |
16 |
161 |
32 |
10.7 |
| 9 |
A&M-COMMERCE |
3 |
3-0 |
24 |
14 |
111 |
31 |
10.3 |
| 10 |
Slippery Rock |
3 |
3-0 |
23 |
14 |
103 |
30 |
10.0 |
| 10 |
Lane |
3 |
1-2 |
29 |
2 |
112 |
30 |
10.0 |
| 10 |
Fairmont St. |
3 |
2-1 |
20 |
20 |
115 |
30 |
10.0 |
| 10 |
Virginia St. |
2 |
2-0 |
14 |
12 |
57 |
20 |
10.0 |
GOING BACK TO BACK
• The Lions scored 59 points against William Jewell and 51 points against Eastern New Mexico.
• This is the second time under head coach
Colby Carthel that the Lions have scored more than 50 points in consecutive games.
• Prior to that, the last time the Lions scored over 50 in consecutive games was the stunning run of victories in the 1952 season.
| 10/25/1952 |
SAM HOUSTON STATE |
W |
57-33 |
| 11/?/1952 |
at Stephen F. Austin |
W |
54-7 |
| 11/12/1952 |
SOUTHWEST TEXAS |
W |
63-23 |
| 11/?/1952 |
AUSTIN COLLEGE |
W |
61-7 |
| The Lions scored over 45 points in eight consecutive games in 1952 |
| 11/01/2014 |
McMURRY |
W |
91-13 |
| 11/08/2014 |
TARLETON STATE |
W |
56-49 |
| 9/9/2017 |
WILLIAM JEWELL |
W |
59-6 |
| 9/16/2017 |
EASTERN NEW MEXICO |
W |
51-22 |
SCOUT TEAM PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
• The Lions will announce scout team players of the week each Tuesday for the 2017 season. Winners so far this year are:
On September 23 in Texas A&M-Commerce/East Texas State Football (4-4) :
• 1950 - The first-ever game at Memorial Stadium is played under the lights, as the ET Lions host the North Texas Eagles (pre-Mean Green). The Lions lose the game 42-20. Here is the account from "The Locust" yearbook:
Meeting their arch rivals in the first home game was a bitter assignment for the Lions. It was an important game with the new stadium, the dedication and the opening of a new season. And, as many felt, the Eagles came through with a victory. After holding the North Texans to a 13-13 tie for the first half, the Lions lost their touch and the game ended with a 42-20 score, North Texas on top. This was a hard game to lose. Some thought it forecast a bad season to come, others were resigned to the thought "I guess we can never beat North Texas." The game was hard fought with open play and many penalties. It gave the Lions their first taste of a top team.
• 1951 - The Lions drop the season opener to Abilene Christian, 14-6, at home.
• 1961 - ET falls at home to Southeastern Louisiana, 20-6.
• 1967 - The Lions roll to a 37-15 win in Springfield, Mo., over Southwest Missouri State.
• 1972 - ET earns its second win of the season on the way to the National Championship, shutting out Sam Houston State in Huntsville 23-0.
• 1978 - The Lions mash the Ichabods of Washburn 33-3 at home.
• 1995 - The Lions are limited in a 45-17 loss at Northwestern State in Natchitoches.
• 2006 - A missed PAT by Tarleton helps push the Lions to a 14-13 win, with Daniel Coleman scoring touchdowns on a 67-yard run and a 36-yard pass to David Wofford.
